Saturday, March 15, 2014

She Sews Tonight in Tennessee!

I am staying in Oliver Springs TN at the Windmill Inn, and yes, it used to be a church before it was converted into a really great B&B.

That is my Shamu, parked right out front!

Staying in odd out of the way places really adds some fun to long trips.

Upon checking in, I was told that the church body had outgrown the building and wanted more contemporary facilities, so they moved the swelling congregation into new digs in a renovated shopping center closer to the center of town.

The old church building came up for sale, it was purchased and has been running as a Bed & Breakfast for the past 4 years –which is great, as the town is small enough to need lodging for traveling guests---there is no hotel chain in the immediate area.

Beech Park Baptist church was organized in Oliver Springs, TN in 1904!

I am staying here at the Windmill Inn while I spend the weekend with a great bunch of gals from the Ritzy Thimble Quilt Guild of nearby Oak Ridge, TN.

The sanctuary with it's beautiful ((And slanting)) wood floor now holds stadium seating and comfy reclining sofas ((With CUP HOLDERS!)) for watching big-projector style tv and movies on what was once the back wall behind the pulpit.

Are the old founding pastors rolling in their graves?

There is a pool table and a table for playing poker close at hand at the back of what is now called the “community room”.

A large open dining area serves breakfast with seating for up to 30 guests at one time. There are 19 guest rooms at hand, some with king beds, or queens, some with two doubles per room.

Other end of the breakfast room.

My room is so cozy!

Wood floors, painted walls, comfy bed and beautiful furnishings. Can you see that I have already set up my folding table to use as a desk and for my sewing?

I’ve got the mocha 301 long bed with me and after this posts you’ll find me doing more of this:

A tall dresser has ample space for my small cutting board!

I’ll be trimming up more flying geese strips, and then piecing some more. I need another 60 strips or so to do what I want to do with them. The tv will keep me company, and I have wifi ---what more could a girl want?

How about some microwave popcorn from the kitchen and a tall icy beverage. I’m as comfy as I would be at home ---

If you happen to need lodging anywhere near Oliver Springs – give the Windmill Inn a call. They’ll treat you like family and you’ll sleep like a baby ---

Tomorrow I get a bit of a sleep in. Class doesn’t start until 12:30 pm, and we’ll busy ourselves with a half day Dancing Nines workshop!

Monday I’ll head to Pigeon Forge ---I wonder if I ask nicely if they’d let me do my laundry here tomorrow morning so I have clean clothes for the last leg of this journey?

I use plain printer paper if I am going to be sewing on lines on the paper, as in paper piecing. If I am doing string piecing, just covering a shape and only need the paper as a size to shoot for, I'll use the phone book paper.

Bonnie!! We were snowed on most of the day so I have been in my basement with the fire place going and sewing away all day AND watching back to back episodes of The Quilt Show!!! Thanks for posting that...it was great fun and I learned so much. Going to do the same tomorrow! :) Have a good night sewing.

I love this B&B. It looks perfect for the sewing..Had a lady in yesterday from Danville, KY. Her friend had called her from Wisconsin and told her she "had to be close to the shop Bonnie had written about". She stayed for hours and signed up for classes and loves Civil War.......thank you so much!!! Paula